At the Draft Budget Briefing Session held on Monday, 2 May 2011, a brief discussion was held concerning the Council’s future financial commitment to the Local Heritage Fund and the Heritage Advisor Service.

The Council indicated that it would no longer fund the Local Heritage Fund as from the 2011/2012 financial year and reduce its funding for the Heritage Advisor Service owing to the Council’s current financial position.

Council also decided to abolish the Heritage Committee and refer any matters involving heritage issues to future Ordinary Meetings of the Council.

It should be noted that the Council will still retain the services of the Heritage Advisor on a reduced scale and on an “as required” basis for matters such as Development Application referrals and appointments made on behalf of community members who would like the Heritage Advisor’s input on a particular heritage matter.

Notwithstanding the loss of the Local Heritage Fund and the formal meeting of the Heritage Committee, staff are of the opinion that the heritage role of the Council will still be continued effectively with future decisions now being made by the Council as a whole.

Council has developed a Strategy Plan for the next two years as required by the New South Wales Heritage Office.

  JSC Heritage Strategy 2008-2011  (Details) | pdf | 431

It's about us – it’s a way forward. This community is moving forward. Doing so without acknowledging the past is equivalent to being culturally orphaned. Junee is so fortunate to have its historical assets, both physical and cultural, pretty much intact.

The Council recognises the community's wish to preserve and reflect its history to residents and visitors of Junee. The preceding decade has seen yearly deposits to Junee’s historical bankbook.

There have been books published, movies made, buildings preserved, museums enhanced, main street makeover, photo competitions and twilight tours tramping in cellars once forgotten. All the while, community organisations are leading the way, with imagination and enthusiasm.

The Council's role is as an enabler and coordinator, bringing together the work of individual people and organisations so that the history and culture of Junee can be reflected in its future.

Junee has been involved in the NSW Heritage Festival for the past seven years. In many ways Junee is the highest participating rural Local Government Area in the State, finding new ways to celebrate in festival activities.

In 1998, 100 people arrived at the JADDA Centre for the inaugural Junee festival. It included 340 A4 photographs from Junee dating back to 1889. There where photos of local sporting clubs and dignitaries, some unnamed. The gathering soon sorted that out, recollecting time past, and before long the unnamed became real people once more.

In 2004 a trip to the Bethungra Rail Spiral for afternoon tea and a chat turned into a weekend away for some people. So fascinated are people about trains, that this local twilight tour saw people travel from Sydney, Leeton, Cootamundra and Mudgee.

In 2004 we celebrated the National Trust Heritage Festival with twilight walks through the conservation area of Junee to hear some of our town’s history, through the lives of its buildings. Junee Shire Council Heritage Adviser Noel Thomson led the tour discussing detail, style and structure of buildings, and participants filled in the community knowledge, making for a well-rounded tour. The finale was entering the basement of the Railside Café, followed by some lovely tea, coffee and hot chocolate.

In 2005 the Heritage Festival celebrates the National Trust’s Diamond Jubilee with the partnership of community and heritage over the past 60 years. The Festival is one of the biggest community festivals in the State, with nearly 400 community events taking place from organisations including councils, historic societies, museums, art galleries, hotels, community groups, government departments and private individuals.

Want free Architectural advice? We can help.

Junee has  the services of a Heritage Adviser who visits one day a month. Cast your mind back to the Lorne Street redevelopment. The Junee Heritage Adviser played an instrumental part in the design and accomplishments of that project.

The Junee Heritage Adviser can help you with sympathetic designs for your intended purpose - colour schemes, home additions, signage for your commercial business or even front fence redesign. If you have an older home and are keen to enhance its features, please make an appointment to see the Junee Heritage Adviser.

If you have a home in the Junee Conservation Area, Development Consent is required - even to paint the outside of your house. If you negotiate an outcome with the Junee Heritage Adviser you will not be required to pay the Council fees associated with a development application for any minor works.

The Junee Heritage Adviser has met with over 150 families in Junee.

The Heritage Advisor is available for appointment on the third Tuesday of each month.

As if to strengthen Junee’s position as one of the more important architectural townscape examples for historical buildings in NSW, a line was drawn around an area that has precinct protection. The Heritage Conservation Area recognises an area on both sides of the railway line and includes the majority of the CBD and some residential areas. This area is identified in the Junee Local Environmnetal Plan 1992. Any proposed external building work in this area requires development consent. If you are intending work in the Heritage Conservation Area, see Council staff before you start planning what to do. Council’s Heritage Adviser provides free advice to help you.

The NSW Heritage Office has been supporting Junee’s Heritage projects for over a decade now. The relationship has been very positive and has made a difference to Junee’s presentation. The NSW Heritage Office has also assisted with publications promoting Junee to a wider audience.